Water Grave

Woke up with this song running through my mind and my heart this morning.
A song of separation....
A song of hope .....
The death of the old life...the old man..
The birth and resurrection of the new.
I don't think such a transition can truly be appreciated until you experience it.
Some call it salvation....
Jesus referred to it as being "born again" by Spirit.

The old way has a stranglehold on the soul of a man.
It whispers that "You'll never be able to escape."
Any dreams of having real life is just that....
A dream.
It is for others, but not for you.
The old man, and the old ways make promises that they never intend on keeping.
The stand in the shadows of thought and heart and speak half truths to souls that are dying.

Jesus stands clear and unobstructed speaking simple truth.
"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
The old man and the old ways fight these words.
Accusations arise....
"You don't need Jesus! You just need your D.O.C. (Drug of choice)."
"The drug is real..."
"You can hold it..."
"You can taste it..."
"Jesus is just a thought. Just a concept someone dreamed up to keep you from experiencing real freedom.'

Seems to me that this is the same old tired argument the serpent used in the garden. He sure has gotten a lot of mileage off this misguided, dark thought of living out from under the hand of God. Yet humanity keeps falling for it over and over. It's the same song...just different verse. It's the same story, just a different time.

The song "Water Grave" is performed by the group DOGWOOD. First met Steve Chapman and Ron Elder back in 1981 at the Falls Festival put on by Christian Brothers. What stirs me about the song is the idea behind baptism. Water symbolizing the grave where Jesus' does His best work. Going down into the water as the "old man" ......the old nature of sin being taken by Christ through the work He accomplished on the cross and from the tomb.

In my house there's been a mercy killing

The man I used to be has been crucified.
And the death of this man was the final way of revealing

In the spiritual way to live, I had to die.

Now if I let a dead man linger in me...
I might get a little idle in my ways.

So I'm going down to the Celebration River

Gonna take this dead man down to his water grave.

I'm going down to the river, my Lord
I'm gonna be buried alive.

I want to show my heavenly Father
The man I used to be has finally died

Now when I think of where I'm going

In terms of where I've been

It makes me, Lord, glad to know that I've been born again.

There is freedom in the name of Jesus...
There is life in being born again.
Why not take your old nature down to a water grave?

God on you...

mb